Year End Earnings Wrap-up

I have posted before about some different ways to earn money with online activities.  You can read the overview HERE.  If you have questions about individual earnings sites, you can contact me through the comments.  As stated before, I would never endorse a site unless I had gotten paid by them.  I won't inflate my earnings to make it sound better than it is, but I also don't spend as much time as possible on the different sites.

I want to say that Swagbucks singlehandedly funded my Christmas shopping.  If you haven't done Swagbucks yet, or if you started it but didn't really do much, you may want to give it another look.



Ok, the totals.  I may have forgotten some sites, so I will add to them as I remember.  I usually request payments from all right before the end of the year so that I can use the extra money for shopping.  Ebates pays out as the payments arrive, and I do order Amazon gift cards all year long from Swagbucks.

Swagbucks: $390, mostly in Amazon gift cards but some Paypal (cash!) payouts.  I currently have enough Swagbucks for another $50 Amazon gift card, but I'm waiting for the first of the month.
Inbox Dollars: $36.38 check
FreeRide: $25 AGC
MyPoints: $30 B&N gift cards
Ebates: $33.93 in Paypal

I'm going to have to go back and check out the survey sites and add that information here later.  Total for the year-- $515.31.  Again, I did not get rich, but the extra money was great for Christmas shopping.  I also use some of my Swagbucks Amazon earnings throughout the year to buy some grocery items.

Read my descriptions for each one.  I do not do the high point offers that need a credit card or free trials that need to be cancelled.  Each one of these, I do the bare minimum.  I also was much busier this year, with two or three jobs at times.  Some sites fell by the wayside so that I didn't even always click all the easy email points.

Greatest Hits #1

It's so busy at this time of the year that I decided I'm going to count down the 5 posts with the highest number of hits, sort of a greatest hits type of thing. This should get me through the rest of the year, and maybe I'll throw in a few good freebies as I find them. If you came looking for Amazon shopping deals, you can find all the best information in my Making the Most of Amazon post above, or click on the Freebie link to see if there are any good ones still available.

 
So, here it is, the post with the most (hits):

I think it was because of the title "Clean and Dirty Fun."  Maybe the dirty part brought me in some new readers from other areas of the world wide web.

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If you live in the Ames area and haven't visited People Place, you really should. I did an earlier post about them in conjunction with my community resources posts, so you can read more about them here.

On Friday, I was charged with leading a fun craft for the under 3 set, so I went with a favorite at my house.

Bubble paint is such a great craft for little ones and older children alike.  For the little ones, it is a way to introduce colors, and mixing colors to get different colors.  It offers them a chance to blow bubbles (always fun!), practice some fine motor skills, and the texture is so fun.

How do you make it?  It's an easy recipe, just three ingredients:

1. 1/4 C. dry tempera paint powder 
2. 3 Tablespoons of tap water
3. 2 teaspoons of dish soap

I have done it with the liquid tempera paint, but it works much better with powdered because it's thicker and makes brighter colors.  We mixed it all together in a bigger cup, then poured it into smaller cups that were easier for small children to handle (and less to spill).  Insert straw...

Then blow...

And blow...

Pat the paper onto the bubble piles.  You can do one color or all colors, or any combination. 

The bubbles are fun to pop!

Depending on the type of paper you use, the completed paper can be used as stationery, wrapping paper, or cut up for a collage.

The mess looks intimidating, but a wet rag will activate the bubbles from the dish soap, and it cleans right up.

The kids?  Well...

I promise for the new year to return with more freebies, bargains, and cheapouts.  Thank you to all who have read my blog for the past year.

Greatest Hits #2

It's so busy at this time of the year that I decided I'm going to count down the 5 posts with the highest number of hits, sort of a greatest hits type of thing. This should get me through the rest of the year, and maybe I'll throw in a few good freebies as I find them. If you came looking for Amazon shopping deals, you can find all the best information in my Making the Most of Amazon post above, or click on the Freebie link to see if there are any good ones still available.


And yet another Iowa State Fair post here for the #2 position.  This was my original Cheapout at the Iowa State Fair post.

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I posted earlier about my love for the fair, and the Iowa State Fair is my all-time favorite. It's been featured in the book "1000 Places to See Before You Die," and I think it would take the whole 10 days to be able to see everything there is to see.  The fair can get expensive, so I want to show all the ways that you can do it for less.

 Cheapout on Ticket Costs

• Kids 5 and under are free every day!
• Half price admissions--the last day of the fair (August 22) and every day after 5 pm.
• Pre-purchase your tickets and buy bundles online.  An adult admission to the Iowa State Fair is $10 this year, but only $7 if you buy them early.  I just went to look for the information on this, and TODAY is the last day to have the tickets mailed to you.  You can still do the pre-purchase, but you'll have to pick up your tickets when you get there.
• You can also buy tickets at some Dahls and Fareway stores or purchase them through Iowa Lottery machines, though they will add a $1 "convenience" fee.

Cheapout on Activities

• Skip the midway, and focus on the free activities.  There are more than enough free things to do at the fair.  If you do want to go to the midway, buy a Fair Play pack ahead of time.
• Here are a lot of activities your kids can do beforehand to get excited about the fair.  There are coloring pages and scavenger hunts, or you can make your own list up.
• Sign up for Blue Ribbon Kids.  It's free, and it allows you to gain access to more free activities.  Here's the list of Blue Ribbon activities.
• The Paul Knapp animal learning center is my little one's favorite.  She's very young and still remembers the day we watched a litter of pigs being born.  They have expectant mothers of many different species having babies throughout the course of the fair, plus eggs hatching.  Even if you aren't able to witness the miracle of birth firsthand, they have tons of brand new baby animals and videos showing the births that have already occurred.  

• We also love Little Hands on the Farm.  The children get a chance to go around a path and harvest crops, then turn their crops in at the market for a dollar, which buys them a healthy snack.  They also get a free hat.

• Don't forget all the stage shows!  There are areas specific to kids, such as the Fun Forest, but the other free events can still be fun for kids.  Mine love the talent show.

• There are animal barns all over, and you can certainly go through each and every one of them.  I love the Avenue of Breeds, because you'll see a few of each type of animal all in one place.  You can't forget the big boar.  That's where you'll find him.  The big bull will be in the cattle barn and the big ram will be in the sheep barn.
• The DNR building has aquariums and an outdoor pond with ducks, geese and turtles.  They also have many fun activities and coloring pages.

• There is also a free Petting Zoo (though you buy food to give them).

• One last link to some more free events, the wild west show looks like a lot of fun.

Cheapout on Food

This really isn't all that possible, since the food is all expensive, but there are free food samples to be had.  There are also some less expensive and healthier options, though sometimes we save money on everything else so that we can have the money to spend on fair foods.   Here are some ideas:

• Free samples at the Agricultural Building.  This is also where you see the Butter Cow, and it's a can't miss activity.  While you're there, get a hard boiled egg on a stick or try some ostrich meat.  There will be representatives from every industry with samples to taste.
• For good food, your best bets are the Cattlemans tent for good, Iowa raised beef, or pork chop on a stick at the Pork producers booth.  Dinner Bell is great for homemade breakfast, and Stockman's Inn for a better sit-down meal.
• This link lists all the foods available at the fair and where to find them.  There really are healthier options (The Salad Bowl) and some vegetarian options.
• We all know why you're really going to the fair, though, so here is a list of all the foods on a stick at this year's fair.
• Look here for a complete list of foods. 

Enjoy!  I hope to see you all there.

Amazon Toy Clearance!

Just a quick post to share that Amazon is now having an after holiday event to clearance out all the toys that didn't sell. This may be a great opportunity to get all the things you didn't get earlier, and also to restock the gift closet.

Here's the link to the big toy sale.

All the year-end deals in all departments HERE.

Greatest Hits #3

It's so busy at this time of the year that I decided I'm going to count down the 5 posts with the highest number of hits, sort of a greatest hits type of thing. This should get me through the rest of the year, and maybe I'll throw in a few good freebies as I find them. If you came looking for Amazon shopping deals, you can find all the best information in my Making the Most of Amazon post above, or the deals post below this one.

#3 is one I love, it's the Cheapout at the Iowa State Fair post I did for 2011.  I love the Iowa State Fair, so it's great that so many people wanted to read about how I do it on the cheap.  Fun Fact: if you do a Swagbucks image search for What Would Roseanne Conner Do? you'll see several pictures from this post on the first page.

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This is a (mostly) repeat of my 2010 post.  I've updated the information and fixed the links to make it current for 2011.  I also added some more cute baby animal pictures, because there can never be enough of those, right?  Enjoy! 

I posted earlier about my love for the fair, and the Iowa State Fair is my all-time favorite. It's been featured in the book "1000 Places to See Before You Die," and I think it would take the whole 10 days to be able to see everything there is to see.  The fair can get expensive, so I want to show all the ways that you can do it for less.

 Cheapout on Ticket Costs

• Kids 5 and under are free every day!
• Half price admissions--the last day of the fair (August 21) and every day after 5 pm.
• Pre-purchase your tickets and buy bundles online.  An adult admission to the Iowa State Fair is $10 this year, but only $7 if you buy them early.  I just went to look for the information on this, and July 29 is the last day to have the tickets mailed to you.
• NEW! Print your discounted admission tickets at home, fee free!
• Purchase admission and activity tickets online and have them mailed to you (a shipping and handling fee will apply).
• Beginning approximately July 1 through August 10, tickets will be available at participating Hy-Vee, Hy-Vee Drugstores, Dahl's Foods and Fareway stores (fee free). The State Fair Ticket Office opens July 11.

Cheapout on Activities

• Skip the midway, and focus on the free activities.  There are more than enough free things to do at the fair.  If you do want to go to the midway, buy a Fair Play pack ahead of time.  This gets you some of the basic activities for a very low cost.  

• Here are a lot of activities your kids can do beforehand to get excited about the fair.  There are coloring pages and scavenger hunts, or you can make your own list up.
• Sign up for Blue Ribbon Kids.  It's free, and it allows you to gain access to more free activities. 
• The Paul Knapp animal learning center is my little one's favorite.  She's very young and still remembers the day we watched a litter of pigs being born.  They have expectant mothers of many different species having babies throughout the course of the fair, plus eggs hatching.  Even if you aren't able to witness the miracle of birth firsthand, they have tons of brand new baby animals and videos showing the births that have already occurred.  

 

• We also love Little Hands on the Farm.  The children get a chance to go around a path and harvest crops, then turn their crops in at the market for a dollar, which buys them a healthy snack.  They also get a free hat.

• We loved the GRAPE STOMP at Grandfather's Barn!  What fun, and it makes a mess.  You know they love that.  Our kids even got ribbons for participating.

• Don't forget all the stage shows!  There are areas specific to kids, such as the Fun Forest, but the other free events can still be fun for kids.  Mine love the talent show.  Check out my 2011 post on free fair entertainment HERE.

• There are animal barns all over, and you can certainly go through each and every one of them.  I love the Avenue of Breeds, because you'll see a few of each type of animal all in one place.  You can't forget the big boar.  That's where you'll find him.  The big bull will be in the cattle barn and the big ram will be in the sheep barn.

•  The DNR building has aquariums and an outdoor pond with ducks, geese and turtles.  They also have many fun activities and coloring pages.

• There is also a free Petting Zoo (though you buy food to give to the animals)

 

• To see the daily program, you can click here and enter the day you plan to attend to see what is going on and help you plan your visit.

Cheapout on Food

This really isn't all that possible, since the food is all expensive, but there are free food samples to be had.  There are also some less expensive and healthier options, though sometimes we save money on everything else so that we can have the money to spend on fair foods.   Here are some ideas:

• Free samples at the Agricultural Building.  This is also where you see the Butter Cow, and it's a can't miss activity.  While you're there, get a hard boiled egg on a stick or try some ostrich meat.  There will be representatives from every industry with samples to taste.
• For good food, your best bets are the Cattlemans Beef Quarters for good, Iowa raised beef, or pork chop on a stick at the Pork producers booth.  Dinner Bell is great for homemade breakfast, and Stockman's Inn for a better sit-down meal.  The Cattleman's Beef Quarters is doing daily coupons through their Facebook page!  Check it out HERE.
• This link lists all the foods available at the fair and where to find them.  There really are healthier options (The Salad Bowl) and some vegetarian options.
• We all know why you're really going to the fair, though, so here is a list of all the foods on a stick at this year's fair.

Enjoy!  I hope to see you all there.

Oh, let's get it all together.  Cheapout on Parking at the Iowa State Fair with the shuttle busses.  Check out the information in this post.

Greatest Hits #4

It's so busy at this time of the year that I decided I'm going to count down the 5 posts with the highest number of hits, sort of a greatest hits type of thing. This should get me through the rest of the year, and maybe I'll throw in a few good freebies as I find them. If you came looking for Amazon shopping deals, you can find all the best information in my Making the Most of Amazon post above, or the deals post below this one.

#4 was of course a shopping post.
And I didn't do it this year! I'll have to make a note to gather all the tax free weekend information this August.  Don't forget, the links below probably don't work any more, since this post is over a year old.
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In Iowa, at least.  I know many states offer one weekend for back to school shopping tax-free, but I'll focus on my own state for this post.  Many items will probably be very similar for your own state, and the coupons I'll post will be useful no matter what.  This is a great time to get 7% off by not having to pay the sales tax, but add in a 15-20% off coupon to make it much better.

Clothing and Accessories

• Kohl's 3 day shopping pass, gets you 15% off.  You will also get $10 Kohl's cash for every $50 you spend. 
• JCPenney has 3 great printable coupons.  Click all the links for the options: $10 off $50, $10 or $15 off, or 10-20% off (this one is only for Sunday).  Depending on your store, you may be able to stack these together.  Ours is usually very good about allowing this if you ask nicely.
• Old Navy has a coupon, but it's a mystery what you win.  I just got $10 off $50 using their Facebook game.  If you are a cardholder, get $15 off $50 with this coupon.  Their kids jeans are $10 this weekend.
• Here's a Children's Place 20% off coupon.
• I couldn't find a printable coupon at Gymboree, but they have a pretty huge sale going on right now.  See details on their page HERE.
• Aeropostale, get jeans for $20.
• Ann Taylor and Ann Taylor Loft, get 30% off.
• $10 off $30 or $10 off $50 at Avenue.  These have different expiration dates, so maybe print one for later in the month.
• 15% off at Banana Republic when you use your Visa card.  Looks like there are other coupons at this site as well if you use your Visa.
• Carter's has a $10 off $50 coupon.
• Here's 20% off one item from Gordman's.
• Lane Bryant offers $15-$75 off, depending on how much you spend.
• Get 20% off your total purchase at Maurice's. (note that the coupon on the right is expired already.)
• $15-$50 off or 15% off your entire purchase at The Limited.

Shoe Deals

• No coupon necessary, Shoe Carnival has BOGO 50% off shoes.
• Stride Rite also has BOGO 50% off, and I'm not sure if you need to print this out or not.

 One last one!

• This Ace Hardware coupon probably won't help you much on your back to school shopping, but it might be useful to go along with their sale going on right now.

Just as a point of information, the list of things that are and are not sales tax free is very confusing.  You can read the full details HERE on the state's webpage (or HERE for an alphabetical list), but it basically includes clothing (but only if the item is under $100) but not most accessories, shoes, diapers.  It does not include apparel items specifically made for sports.

Happy Shopping!

Greatest Hits #5

It's so busy at this time of the year that I decided I'm going to count down the 5 posts with the highest number of hits, sort of a greatest hits type of thing. This should get me through the rest of the year, and maybe I'll throw in a few good freebies as I find them. If you came looking for Amazon shopping deals, you can find all the best information in my Making the Most of Amazon post above, or the deals post directly below this one.

So, #5 was this Canon SLR deal post. Obviously this deal is long dead, but there is an awesome Canon deal that I posted on December 20 that IS still available. If you're in the market for a good SLR, this would be the deal I'd take if I had an extra $600 or so lying around.

(copy and paste below)

Here's a great DSLR deal! The Canon T3i is a big favorite, but right now they have some good markdowns. If you buy the T3i with 18-55 mm lens right now, it is $200 off at just $699. It also comes with some good freebies. You'll get this backpack, a 16 GB memory card, a free Tiffin filter, and potentially a free printer. You'll want to click this link for all the details, but the printer is just over $400. Until December 31, you'll get $400 gift card with the purchase of this camera and this printer. FREE 1 day shipping, too! 



If you're also looking for some books to help you use your camera better, I'd recommend these:


Check them out at the library first, but you may find you always want them on hand. Enjoy!

Amazon Deals 12/20

Oh yes. That date above is correct, and we're in the 20s for dates. If you have Amazon prime, you can order up until tomorrow (or Thursday if you're a gambler.) Since we're getting to the wire, I thought I'd do a quick overview of the best deals.  

If you don't have prime, here's your chance to sign up for a free trial! Click HERE.

Electronics Department (on my wish list, and under $100):


Most of those were also included in the free one day shipping event. See more about it here.

Here's a great DSLR deal! The Canon T3i is a big favorite, but right now they have some good markdowns. If you buy the T3i with 18-55 mm lens right now, it is $200 off at just $699. It also comes with some good freebies. You'll get this backpack, a 16 GB memory card, a free Tiffin filter, and potentially a free printer. You'll want to click this link for all the details, but the printer is just over $400. Until December 31, you'll get $400 gift card with the purchase of this camera and this printer. FREE 1 day shipping, too!


The big DVD sale, a link and some highlights:







I can't forget the favorites!

• Main lightning deals page
• Toy Daily Deals page  (this one includes the separate toys lightning deals!)
• $5 and under toy deals! 
• **NEW** 70% off page!  These are often over $10, but mega deals.
• Top Rated Toys under $10
•  Under $10 Boys' Toys
• Under $10 Girls' Toys

Late Night Toy Markdowns

Amazon just dropped prices on another huge batch of toys! Here are some of the best under $5 toys that are new to the list. Scroll down to my previous post to see all the links to the great deals.




There are so many more items!  Even if you had a look this morning, go and check out all the bargain pages.

Amazon Toy Deals 12/18

We're coming down to the wire on shopping now. This is when the prices drop insanely low, and you can probably order up until Wednesday with Amazon Prime.

Here are the best deals that I see today. I love all of these educational sets.


Don't forget the rest:

• Main lightning deals page
• Toy Daily Deals page  (this one includes the separate toys lightning deals!)
• $5 and under toy deals! 
• **NEW** 70% off page!  These are often over $10, but mega deals.
• Top Rated Toys under $10
•  Under $10 Boys' Toys
• Under $10 Girls' Toys

Calico Critters Deal 50% Off!

Note: this is still active and some items are still in stock as of noon 12/18.

Amazon has many Calico Critters items for BOGO 50% off. It seems if you add several, you'll get 50% off all of the items!

Here's an example:
Calico Critters Convertible Coupe $49.99
Calico Critters Kitchen Set & Accessories $24.99
Calico Critters Master Bedroom $24.99
Calico Critters: Baby Playhouse Windmill $59.99

tems (4): $159.96
Shipping & Handling: $0.00
Promotion Applied: -$79.98
Total Before Tax: $79.98
Estimated Tax To Be Collected: $0.00





It's only these select items, but you could outfit the entire dollhouse for half price.  These are hot and rarely on sale, so get them while you can!

Video Games 19 Days of Deals 12/17

Every day, a different deal.

Today, they have their Video Games deal of the day, located HERE.  The theme today is The Finale--50% of more off select items.

The XBOX/ Kinect bundle is under $300 and has an $80 credit!  That's the best deal so far (by $5)





Don't forget the rest:

• Main lightning deals page
• Toy Daily Deals page  (this one includes the separate toys lightning deals!)
• $5 and under toy deals!
• Top Rated Toys under $10
•  Under $10 Boys' Toys
• Under $10 Girls' Toys
• **NEW** BOGO 50% off Calico Critters items.  It seems that you are able to add several and the 50% comes off EVERYTHING.
• Amazon $5 Christmas music MP3s.
• Other $5 album deals for December.
• Digital camera daily deals page
• Amazon 4-for-3 home items.
• Under $5 movie
• 4-for-3 Kitchen Items 
• Amazon Camera gift ideas 
• Silly Stocking Stuffers 

Target Two Day Sale

This looks like a good chance for deals. Target has released a two day ad for today (after 5 pm) and tomorrow. Check out the whole ad HERE. This is my local ad, so they will probably ask for your zip.

Along with the great deals, there is an automatic $10 gift card when you spend over $75.

I see some great deals, many items 50% off!

• Leapster Explorer 34.99.
• Nikon L105, 99.00
• The huge Barbie Princess set for 29.99!  This is a great deal for all the princesses.
• Baby Alive, 12.44
• $20 gift card when you buy a Nook Color!
• 40% off sleepwear, snowboots, and winter accessories.
• Check it out for yourself!  Even if you only need some groceries or household basics, the $10 gift card makes for extra savings.
• If you need something to get your total up, use the awesome Glade promotion.  (Haven't seen it?  Here's a link to a great explanation of how to do it best.

I did notice that Amazon has matched almost all of the toy prices in the Target ad.  If you want something and it's sold out at Target, come back and try to grab it there.  **All except the Princesses.  They're a Target exclusive.

Best Prices on the Big Toys

There is a new link in my previous Amazon post (additional 10% off with coupon), but I looked through and saw some of the HOT toy items from this year on the list.  List here, and here are some of the highlights.

Remember, the price shown below is WITHOUT the additional 10% discount.

Games:



Dolls (Includes La La Loopsy and Baby Alive!):



Transformers:




Lego, Megablocks:


LOVE these Make-Do sets! You can use up your Amazon boxes.




Electronics:



Pillow pets


Don't fit in categories, but look cool:



This saved my life last winter:


There are a lot of items!  I don't want to post everything and really slow down my page, but enjoy!

Video Games 19 Days of Deals 12/16

Every day, a different deal.

Today, they have their Video Games deal of the day, located HERE.  The theme today is Fitness games.  Many games for many platforms.  My favorites are the Wii accessories:



Don't forget the rest:

• Main lightning deals page
• Toy Daily Deals page  (this one includes the separate toys lightning deals!)
• $5 and under toy deals!
• Top Rated Toys under $10
•  Under $10 Boys' Toys
• Under $10 Girls' Toys
• **NEW** 10% off select toys with coupon code CZQP26C9
• Amazon $5 Christmas music MP3s.
• Other $5 album deals for December.
• Digital camera daily deals page
• Amazon 4-for-3 home items.
• Under $5 movie
• 4-for-3 Kitchen Items 
• Amazon Camera gift ideas 
• Silly Stocking Stuffers 

FREE Shipping Day

I'm just going to post the link, but many online retailers are offering free shipping today!  This might be your last great opportunity for free shipping for your holiday shopping.  Check out the list of retailers HERE.

Amazon Under $5 Toys!

If you've been waiting for the great deals, they are HERE. From last night to today, the Under $5 list has gone from 60 items to well over 100. I'll hit the highlights, but you'll want to see for yourself. The Under $10 lists are also looking great, so check them all out at the links below.

Nothing over $5 below!



Here are some more good Amazon links:

• Main lightning deals page
• Toy Daily Deals page  (this one includes the separate toys lightning deals!)
• $5 and under toy deals!
• Top Rated Toys under $10
•  Under $10 Boys' Toys
• Under $10 Girls' Toys
• **NEW** Under $10 Board Games